Could someone please explain what I need?

[lopo]

I've just bought a 1972 Compact. I have no jacks or stabilizers. Nada.
What do I need to get and how and when do I use them?

[Gone Kayaking]

I use these www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Ultra-Fab-Products/UF48-979004.html which are more than enough. But some people use scissor jacks, and others use a bar with fold down legs like www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Domar/tj01rt.html that are attached to your frame. Just remember the jacks are for stability/leveling NOT for lifting (eg changing your tire). You use them when you are camped to keep your trailer from bottoming out when you move to the back of the trailer.

[lopo]

So those two products do the same thing but one has to be welded on and the other set I just set up by hand when needed? Since my trailer is tiny and I'm not heavy and won't be walking in the back, I might not need them, right? And would I use these same things if I end up parking on a spot that's not level?

And tell me again what I need to get to lift it in case, God forbid, I need to change a tire. I guess

I could drive 2 hours to the nearest Camping World and get help, but they'd also empty my pocketbook really fast so I appreciate your help!

[Gone Kayaking]

For leveling your trailer. To get level you want something that you can use under your tires. Some people just use 2x6's for this...you probably have or can find scraps around for this.

Once your are level, the stabilizers keep level when you go from front to back of the trailer. I would still get them. The extreme tipping over part may not happen, but when you move around you'll have motion/jiggling. The stabilizer will prevent that.

For changing tires you need a jack that is rated for that. Just like you would for your car. And your trucks jack may be fine. You need a jack rated for the weight to hold the axle off the ground. Go visit your mechanic and ask him for advice in your situation.

And I would definitely encourage you to practice changing your tire, hitching, unhitching, backing up etc... cause these are things you will likely have to do. Sounds like you should also invest in an auto club membership (AAA premier recommended here) just in case.

[lopo]

Yep. I've had the AAA for years, and I've pulled our cargo trailer and dang but these small trailers are hard to back up!I know I need to practice, practice, practice, as well as hitching and unhitching. My husband's in a wheelchair and his full-time assistant lives with us and they hover trying to do this stuff for me til I shoo'd them away because the only way I'll learn is by doing it. I've done lots of hard things in my life, like driving our '68 Land Rover to Central America and installing parts, etc. along the way, so this is just one more new thing that I need to do to keep from becoming an old lady sitting around reading.

[offspringin]

yes i use the first set that GK posted. They work great. I also ditto the 2x6 boards, i also take some smaller 6x6x2 blocks to use under the stabilizers (sometimes the sites just are not level). We try and get it as level as possible with the boards, the stabilize. I am heavy enough to til the trailer if i really get in the very back of it. I agree with the moving and shaking. i strongly suggest stabilizers. Glad to see your taking on new adventures! welcome

[vikx]

I would use 4 stack jacks even if you won't be walking in the back. They really make things "feel" a lot more sturdy. You should be able to find them at a local RV store or they can order them. Be sure to measure from the ground to the frame so the jacks will fit under the trailer.

[hntnhrd]

+1 on what vikx said

[lopo]

Thanks, all. I think I've got the process pictured now.

[boandsusan]

Stabilizers are a must have as far as I`m concerned. I`m not very heavy, but twice I`ve had my face pushed up against the back window because I had forgot to put the stabilizers back under, after moving the camper. My godson was in the rear of the camper and as I went to pass him a tool, it tipped. The worse part is knowing that as soon as you move, its gonna slam back down the other way. Funny but not.....

[lopo]

I bought the stack of 4 stabilizers that are each 1' tall and had to dig down in the shell driveway to be able to place them, and it wasn't easy lying on the shell and turning the little thingies to get them in place. Gotta find something better. I am also 100% sure that one day, and it won't take long, I will pull the trailer, forgetting they're there. I'm afraid to admit these things because I keep expecting someone to ask me what made me think I'm up to this project, but I refuse to believe that muscle can't be replaced by machines. As for the attention deficit disorder, maybe I can tie a bell onto the jacks that jangles loudly the second it moves at all.

[Deleted]

There is a way of setting the stabilizer jacks that uses the tongue jack, and with a little practice can minimize the amount you actually have to lie on the ground to set them. I have done it with my 16-ft, and blocked my 38-ft doing it this way, and I am quite sure it would be a piece of cake with the Compact. Doing it this way pretty much means needing to be unhooked from the tow vehicle as well, which makes it harder to pull away and forget the jacks are there, so less need for jangly bells. I have done that before and wished I'd had a siren or some other subtle reminder, 'cause I hate the feeling when I realize how much that little mental fart just cost me...

[lopo]

You mean you raise the trailer first with the tongue jack and then lower it onto them? I think I need to fork over for the scissors jacks that I can operate with a crack, maybe even using a drill. (Saw them previously but didn't even know what they were for.) get so intimated by big heavy things that I guess I need to level the playing field with machines. I may even fork over the money for a battery-powered trailer mover. If you don't have the tools or skills, you pay. That's the name of the game. Right now I barely know what the issues are or what I need. That's how this forum is so helpful to me.

[Deleted]

Something like that, only by doing the rear first it is sorta the other way around...lower the front then set the rear jackstands, then raise the front (lower the rear) onto them. Raise it a little high in the front, set the front ones, then lower it off the tongue jack. It is a pretty easy procedure if you start fairly level to start, by leveling your axle with 2x6's and such first.
The scissor jacks are nice tools but also require alot of lying on the ground. A power mover would be nice, if you do not have a lawn tractor or machine of that type. Backing the trailer around in a tight yard with the truck is just another reason to tear out hair in my opinion.
One more thought...a post-it pad works wonders for leaving reminders of things like trailer jacks and such on the steering wheel. I always laughed that I would never need the pencil and pad my Grandpa carried in his shirt everywhere he went. But nowadays I am sure I need a few extra in case I lose the first one!

X2 on the info available from the forum. This is one of the easiest places to get great ideas and advice from truly helpful and friendly folks. I have gotten so many ideas as to the how-to and the why-should-I here that I am getting obsessed with getting to work...and driving my wife nuts with all the brainstorming I am sure!

[lopo]

OK, yeah, I get it now about using the tongue jack. Ha! I never thought of that. Thanks! But as for post-it notes, I had to give them up because I look right past them, but I'll think of something - like putting the spare jack in my driver's seat or something. When you've got attention deficit disorder it pretty much takes a knock in the head. (And the more I read about these fancy systems, the more I like my little jacks - now that you've told me the tongue jack trick.)

[offspringin]

yes the tongue jack trick is the way to go. sometimes it takes a little playing with to get the hang of it. I always take a rolling floor jack with me (just in case) but this last trip set it up and leveled it at two campgrounds. both times just used the front jack.

I get the trailer level in both directions, then set my jacks at the height i need in the rear, then depending on the kind of ground we are on (be it grass, sand, asphalt) i might twist it a couple turns higher to account for it sinking into the grass. I carry 2x6 blocks to put the levelers on but the compact is so low they rarely will fit under it. Some places the sites are so badly unlevel that your tongue is almost on the ground it seems like and the rear bumper is 2 foot up. In any case. Once you determine the rear height the camper needs to be then you go up front and jack it up (i always step behind the trailer again to make sure nothing shifted), jack it up a little past level and slide the stabilizers under the front then set the tonge back down on it. Usually works like a charm. We also carry 2x6 (or 2x8) boards that are about 18" long or so. We use those to level the trailer on sloped sites (as mentioned above) you need to 45 degree cut one end so the trailer will roll up on them easier. You can buy those bright orange plastic lego style leveling blocks but they are pretty pricy and certainly not vintage.

[cowcharge]

You could use "remove before flight" tags like they do for airplanes, they're almost impossible to ignore... www.flickr.com/photos/dimachron/3474123367/

Leveling is most important when you have a propane fridge, they can get ruined if you run them crooked. And for baking. They make little self-stick bubble levels that you can permanently attach to the front and side of your camper, or you can lay a small carpenter's level along and across the tongue to check your level.
www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#q=camper+bubble+level&hl=en&prmd=imvnsa&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=I4qCT-SgEejc0QGRkM35Bw&ved=0CIUBEK0E&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=7196cf0ab0644004&biw=1280&bih=737

[offspringin]

I have a 24" aluminum level (bought from goodwill ) with a magnet strip on one side. i pop it on the rear bumper and then either on the front hitch or floor in the trailer. Have the eagle levels to put on the side but just never have.